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The emerging evidence of human infections with emerging viruses suggests their potential public health importance. A novel taxon of viruses named Statoviruses (for stool‐associated Tombus‐like viruses) was recently identified in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple mammals. Here we report the discovery of respiratory Statovirus‐like viruses (provisionally named Restviruses) from the respiratory tracts of five patients experiencing acute respiratory disease with Human coronavirus OC43 infection through the retrospective analysis of meta‐transcriptomic data. Restviruses shared 53.1%–98.8% identities of genomic sequences with each other and 39.9%–44.3% identities with Statoviruses. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that Restviruses together with a Stato‐like virus from nasal‐throat swabs of Vietnamese patients with acute respiratory disease, formed a well‐supported clade distinct from the taxon of Statoviruses. However, the consistent genome characteristics of Restviruses and Statoviruses suggested that they might share similar evolutionary trajectories. These findings warrant further studies to elucidate the etiological and epidemiological significance of the emerging Restviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human babesiosis is a worldwide disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Babesia. It is transmitted by bites from ixodid ticks, and mechanically transmitted by blood transfusion. It is primarily treated with quinine and/or atovaquone, which are not readily available in China. In this study, we developed a novel treatment regimen involving doxycycline monotherapy in a patient with severe Babesia venatorum infection as an alternative therapeutic medication. The aim of our study is to provide a guidance for clinical practice treatment of human babesiosis. Case presentation: A 73-year-old man who had undergone splenectomy and blood transfusion 8 years prior, presented with an unexplained fever, headache, and thrombocytopenia, and was admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital. He was diagnosed with B. venatorum infection by morphological review of thin peripheral blood smears, which was confirmed by multi-gene polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequencing of the entire 18s rRNA and partial β-tubulin encoding genes, as well as isolation by animal inoculation. The doxycycline monotherapy regimen (peros, 0.1 g bisindie) was administered following pharmacological guidance and an effective outcome was observed. The patient recovered rapidly following the doxycycline monotherapy. The protozoan load in peripheral blood samples decreased by 88% in hematocrit counts after 8 days, and negative PCR results were obtained after 90 days of follow-up at the hospital. The treatment lasted for 3 months without any side effects or sequelae. The nine-month follow-up survey of the patient did not reveal any signs of recrudescence or anti-babesial tolerance. Conclusions: We have reported a clinical case of successful doxycycline monotherapy for human babesiosis caused by B. venatorum, which provides an optional medical intervention for human babesiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The efficacy of physiotherapy for postpartum lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) has attracted considerable research interest. In the current study we evaluated the efficacy and safety of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) combined with biofeedback (BF), electrical stimulation (ES) therapy, or both for postpartum LUTS. Methods: PUBMED, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database, and Wanfang databases were searched from inception to December 2020. Eligible randomized controlled trials on postpartum LUTS comparing PFMT plus BF, ES, or both with PFMT alone were included. The Cochrane handbook was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Results: Seventeen studies were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that PFMT plus ES with or without BF was more effective than PFMT alone. Patients receiving PFMT plus ES and BF achieved greater improvement than controls receiving PFMT alone in incontinence quality of life scores (mean difference: 15.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.70–18.97, P < 0.00001), pelvic floor muscle strength (risk ratio: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.53–3.43, P < 0.0001), and urodynamic parameters (maximum urethral closure pressure, abdominal leak point pressure, and maximum urinary flow rate), and 1-h urine leakage (standardized mean difference: −0.70, 95% CI: −1.23 to −0.17, P = 0.010) also decreased. Conclusions: PFMT plus ES with or without BF exhibited better efficacy and safety for early postpartum LUTS than PFMT alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction: Successful treatment with doxycycline monotherapy for human infection with Babesia venatorum (Babesiidae, Sporozoa) in China: a case report and proposal for a clinical regimen Lei Huang, Yi Sun, Dan-Dan Huo and Ming Xu have contributed equally to this work. Successful treatment with doxycycline monotherapy for human infection with Babesia venatorum (Babesiidae, Sporozoa) in China: a case report and proposal for a clinical regimen. [Extracted from the article]

The continual emergence of tick-borne rickettsioses has garnered widespread global attention. Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae ( Candidatus R. barbariae), which emerged in Italy in 2008, has been detected in humans from northwestern China. However, the lack of Candidatus R. barbariae genome and isolated strains limits the understanding of its biological characteristics and genomic features. Here, we isolated the Rickettsia for the first time from eggs of Rhipicephalus turanicus in northwestern China, and assembled its whole genome after next-generation sequencing, so we modified the proposed name to Rickettsia barbariae ( R. barbariae ) to conform to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the whole genome revealed that it was most closely related to the pathogenic Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia africae . All virulence factors, present in the pathogenic spotted fever group rickettsiae, were identified in the R. barbariae isolate. These findings highlight the pathogenic potential of R. barbariae and the necessity for enhanced surveillance of the emerging Rickettsia in the human population.

We recently detected a HKU4-related coronavirus in subgenus Merbecovirus (named pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251T) from a Malayan pangolin 1 . Here we report isolation and characterization of pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251T, the genome sequence of which is closest to that of a coronavirus from the greater bamboo bat (Tylonycteris robustula) in Yunnan Province, China, with a 94.3% nucleotide identity. Pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251T is able to infect human cell lines, and replicates more efficiently in cells that express human-dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (hDPP4)-expressing and pangolin-DPP4-expressing cells than in bat-DPP4-expressing cells. After intranasal inoculation with pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251, hDPP4-transgenic female mice are likely infected, showing persistent viral RNA copy numbers in the lungs. Progressive interstitial pneumonia developed in the infected mice, characterized by the accumulation of macrophages, and increase of antiviral cytokines, proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines in lung tissues. These findings suggest that the pangolin-borne HKU4-related coronavirus has a potential for emerging as a human pathogen by using hDPP4., (© 2024. The Author(s).)